This type of dental plan pays the dental office (dentist) on a traditional
fee-for-service basis. A monthly premium is paid by the client and/or the
employer to an insurance company, which then reimburses the dental office
(dentist) for the services rendered. An insurance company usually pays between
50% - 80% of the dental office (dentist) fees for a covered procedures; the
remaining 20% - 50% is paid by the client.

These plans often have a
pre-determined or set deductible amount which varies from plan to plan.
Indemnity plans also can limit the amount of services covered within a given
year and pay the dentist based on a variety of fee schedules. Some typical
features of these plans:

Companies selling these plans
are regulated by state insurance departments.

Dental HMOs

These insurance plans, also
known as "capitation plans," operate like their medical HMO cousins. This type
of dental plan provides a comprehensive dental care to enrolled patients through
designated provider office (dentist). A Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO)
is a common example of a capitation plan. The dentist is paid on a per capita
(per person) basis rather than for actual treatment provided.

Participating dentists receive a
fixes monthly fee based on the number of patients assigned to the office. In
addition to premiums, client co-payments may be required for each visit. Some
typical features of these plans:

Monthly premiums (some require
you to prepay a year's worth)

Co-payments for office visits

Free preventive or routine
care

You must select from an
approved network of dentists

May have an initial enrollment
fee

Annual dollar cap

Your average monthly cost: $5
to $15

Companies selling these plans
are regulated by state insurance departments.

Preferred Provider Organizations

Another true insurance plan, a
Preferred provider organizations ( PPO) falls somewhere between an indemnity
plan and a dental HMO. This plan allows a particular
group of patients to receive dental care from a defined panel of dentists. The
participating dentist agrees to charge less than usual fees to this specific
patient base, providing savings for the plan purchaser.

If the patient chooses to see a
dentist who is not designated as a "preferred provider," that patient may be
required to pay a greater share of the fee-for-service. A group of
dentists agrees to provide services at a deeply discounted rate, giving you
substantial savings — as long as you stay in their network. Unlike the more
restrictive DHMO, though, you can go out of network and still receive some
benefits. Some typical features of these plans:

Monthly premiums

Annual dollar cap

You must stay within the
approved network of dentists or pay higher deductibles and co-payments

Your average monthly cost:
$20-25

Companies selling these plans
are regulated by state insurance departments.

Dental Discount

This type of dental plan is not
insurance. The managing organizations have negotiated with local dental offices
to establish a set price for a particular dental procedure and offer deep
discounts (some up to 70%) off the regular ADA pricing code.

This plan has several advantages
over traditional dental insurance plans, namely, there are no exclusions for
pre-existing conditions. This allows a patient to receive immediate coverage for
work without meeting any waiting period requirements.

Direct Reimbursement Plans

A dental care plan now coming
into vogue is the direct reimbursement plan. This is a self-funded benefit plan
— not insurance — in which an employer pays for dental care with its own funds,
rather than paying premiums to an insurance company or third-party
administrator.

You, the patient, pay the full
amount directly to the dentist, then get a receipt detailing services rendered
and the cost, which you show to your employer. The employer reimburses you for
part or all of the dental costs, depending on your specific benefits.

Your company might reimburse 100 percent of your first $100 of dental expenses
and then 80 percent of the next $500, and 50 percent of the next $2,000, with a
total annual maximum benefit of $1,500. Or it might reimburse only 50 percent of
your first $1,000, resulting in a $500 yearly cap.

Traditional dental insurance is often perceived as the best way
to pay for dental expenses. And while dental insurance is an excellent option
when sponsored by your employer, it may not be very cost effective when you are
paying for it.

Most individual dental insurance
plans require you to satisfy waiting periods and deductibles before having major
and sometimes even minor restorative work done. Discount dental plans help make
maintaining good oral health a lot more affordable. And, with no waiting periods
or complicated coverage procedures, dental discount plans are about as simple as
you can get.

How do discount dental plans
work? As we become aware about our oral health, there has been a demand for
affordable dental care. Discount dental plans are the newest option for those
without coverage. These dental discount plans are much cheaper than traditional
dental insurance, and also offer almost equal coverage for all dental work, even
cosmetic procedures not covered by standard indemnity dental plans.

The catch is that dental discount plans are not really insurance at all. They
work more like club memberships, where the cost of membership (your "premium")
earns a steep discount on any club service (dental work) you buy. The discount
normally applies to all dental office services performed by an approved "plan"
dentist, but no procedure is covered completely.

What are the ins and outs of
discount dental plans? When it comes to dental discount plans, the good news is
afford ability, breadth of services, and immediate coverage. The bad news is
greater financial risk and responsibility on your part.

Although the monthly cost of
most discount dental plans is very low compared to the price of a traditional
dental insurance or indemnity insurance policy, there's more allover financial
risk with a dental discount plan. No care is totally covered, so an expensive
procedure will mean a big out-of-pocket expense, even with the dental plan. And
even when undergoing a low-cost service (like cleaning), you'll still be
expected to pick up a part of the cost.

However, on the plus side,
discount dental plans are effective immediately - so are many procedures you
need now will be covered as soon as you buy the dental discount plan.
Traditional indemnity and/or insurance dental plans usually impose a waiting
period of between 6 and 18 months for any major procedure. The last "pro" is
that all good dental discount plans should come with a money-back guarantee.

Some typical features of a
direct reimbursement plan:

Neither you nor your employer
pay monthly premiums

Freedom to choose any dentist

Typical employer cost: depends
on the number of employees and benefit caps

Benefits usually capped at
$500 to $2,000 annually.

Dental care is quite different than medical
care. Major illness can strike at any time and the costs can be enormous. Most
dental disease is preventable and treatment is predictable. Regular checkups and
professional cleaning can help maintain your oral health and so dental benefits
are written to encourage patients to seek preventative care in order to prevent
more serious dental problems.